2010/02/15

The TED v. Sarah Silverman Fight Turns Really Retarded

Quick background – comedian Sarah Silverman, who is known for shock and insult humor, was invited to give a TED talk. She was subsquently trashed by TED organizer Chris Anderson, who tweeted “I know I shouldn’t say this about one of my own speakers, but I thought Sarah Silverman was god-awful…”

The problem was that Silverman kept using the word “retarded” to fight Sarah Palin’s recent rant about the word. The whole talk flew right over the TED crowd.

Anderson deleted his tweet, but Silverman hit back today with her own, saying “Kudos to @TEDChris for making TED an unsafe haven for all! You’re a barnacle of mediocrity on Bill Gates’ asshole.”

Anderson, who tries to stay above the fray, must be so pleased.

And then, somewhat randomly, AOL founder Steve Case waded into the fight to defend Anderson. He (also tweeting) said“Shame on you” to Silverman, adding “The sad thing is you’re not that funny.”

Silverman’s response: “@SteveCase You should be nicer to the last person on earth w an aol account.”

…the fight between Silverman and Case continued, but you get the picture.

Our take: Silverman was invited to TED to do what she does, and she did it. No one should have been surprised by her brand of humor. She was then personally attacked by Anderson. It’s no surprise she fired back. TED speakers beware – make sure your talks are within acceptable parameters or face the wrath of TED. And their friends.